The late Doug Buffone is arguably one of the most beloved Chicago Bears personalities in history. He was a fan favorite during his long playing career. A bright spot on some epically bad football teams in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Then after 14 seasons of tremendous play which included a team record 24 interceptions for a linebacker, he found his next calling as a post-game radio analyst.
Buffone’s line about the Bears over the year, especially when they lose, are legendary. Few guys had more unforgettable quotes about how bad the team or a player was than him. One thing he refused to tolerate more than anything else? A lack of will to fight. This was a man who’d scrapped, clawed, and battled his way through 186 games and some dark seasons. The losing never stopped him. He didn’t have time for new generations of players who did the same.
Never was that unshakeable will on display more than after the 1976 season. Buffone had suffered a torn Achilles tendon just two games into the season. Keep in mind that these injuries are considered serious today. Back then? They were considered a death sentence to a career. Especially for a guy who was already 32-years old.
Doug Buffone annoyed the hell out of coaches trying to return
The percentage of players who returned at all from such an injury was low. Returned from it to play well? Even less. Buffone was hell-bent on showing everybody he wasn’t finished yet. He sensed at the time the Bears finally had something building and was determined to be part of it. According to Will Larkin of the Chicago Tribune, the guy was so ravenous in rehab that Bears trainers made him go away so they could get a break.
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In 1977 he became the first Bear to return from a torn Achilles tendon. During rehab he trained so vigorously that trainer Fred Caito and weight coach Clyde Emrich made him take 10 days off in February.
In a Dec. 9, 1977, story by the Tribune’s Don Pierson, Emrich recounted telling Buffone: “You’re driving me crazy, you’re driving Freddie crazy and you’re driving yourself crazy. Now get the hell out.”
Buffone returned and played 13 games that season. He had an interception in a critical 24-23 victory over the Los Angeles Rams that helped the Bears t a 9-5 record and their first playoff berth in 14 years. It was also the first of his NFL career. It’s one of the great personal comeback stories in Bears history. One that arguably surpasses even the mighty Gale Sayers.
